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By Seth Robinson Entertainment Staff |
Guide to Star Ratings |
: Before even presenting their music, the members of Train catch your attention with their following.
Their fans include David Bryson and Charlie Gillingham of Counting Crows and Matt Wallace, who produces for Dog's Eye View and Paul Westerberg. Of course, discerning listeners will want more than this to judge the band, but it isn't a bad start.
Those discerning listeners who happen to like the aforementioned artists shouldn't be disappointed with Train. The music style is very similar, with perhaps more of a soulful, rootsy feel to it. Listening to Train is more like listening to a jam session than a record that has been finely toned in the studio. Which is not necessarily a bad thing.
The opener to Train's new self-titled album, "Meet Virginia," starts off a little slow, but picks up with a strong melody and nice (but not overpowering) guitar work. None of the music on the rest of the album knocks your socks off, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't work. The tightness the band plays with, and the live sound they pull off, results in some pretty nice ear candy.
Lyrically, the album doesn't really hit you in the gut or anything like that, but the words don't bore you to death either. It's not the same thing you hear day after day. One nice thing about the lyrics is that they aren't terribly depressing. The album has an upbeat feel to it, and the lyrics are pleasant, if not happy.
Basically, Train is a good band that put out a good album that will probably never get heard. It's not really original enough to get put on major radio playlists. If you're not looking for some incredibly innovative modern rock, you might do well do give the album a shot.